How you stumbled upon me
by hanala
Summary: Rating just to be safe. After seeing Harry and Hermione as a happy couple, Ron can't help but wonder if he's ever going to find HIS special someone. Starts off as HHr, but will eventually turn into RL. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
Hermione and Ron looked over at their best friend, who was sitting in an armchair, staring blankly at the roaring blazes. This was, as it became more evident, his weekly routine. He would sit there and stare at the fireplace at least once a week, trying to contemplate the aftermath of the Department of Mysteries. Harry had become somewhat depressed since the start of summer, and it was always Hermione that made him feel better about things. In fact, she made him feel so much better that they were now "officially" a dating couple. Ron had come across this shocking news when he walked in on them having a snogging session in his room back at the Burrow over the summer holidays. True, Ron had had a little thing going on for Hermione, but once he saw how happy they were together, he couldn't get angry with them. However, there were times when their snogging became a little inconvenient – Ron would look at them, feel too lonely, left out, and awkward, so he would always go for a walk to clear his mind and think of other attractive girls he could hunt. Back at the Burrow, it would be by the little creek near his backyard, but here at Hogwarts, it was always down by the Lake where there was absolute solitude.  
  
Many times, he and Hermione would argue about the best way to go about cheering Harry up. Ron argues that leaving him alone is the best choice, while Hermione constantly repeats that talking to him about it will let him "reveal his true emotions". According to Ron, this is absolute rubbish. Their arguments would always, somehow, go off topic.  
  
"Bah! You women always want to talk and cry! We MEN prefer to keep it to ourselves, to prevent us from future embarrassment!"  
  
"Hah! I would hardly call YOU a man! You don't have a trace of facial hair, not even stubble on your face!"  
  
"Now that's just insulting! I do so have stubble!"  
  
"Yeah, where?"  
  
"Right here! On my chin! See, SEE!?"  
  
Now, looking at Hermione's concerned face, Ron realized that another one of these arguments was about to pop up.  
  
"Oh, Ron! I'm really worried, should I go talk to him?"  
  
He already knew the answer to prevent another speech on how revealing your feelings is good for your health. So, instead of telling her to leave Harry alone, he replied,  
  
"You should, go talk to him, cheer him up."  
  
She smiled at him, and walked over to the armchair in which Harry sat and perched herself upon the armrest. As he saw Harry rest his head into Hermione's lap, Ron stood up, ready to leave the common room. Just as he reached the common room doors, he turned around and saw Hermione mouth,  
  
"Leaving already?"  
  
[She sure has a very strong intuition for a girl], he thought, and nodded, before disappearing through the common room doors and out into the corridor. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
He leaned against the stone wall beside the portrait of the Fat Lady and sighed. It was the dead of the night; he had no invisibility cloak, and nowhere to go. Deciding it was better than just standing there, he let his feet carry him off to wherever. He walked by the Trophy Room, but those painful memories of the slug incident were too hard to bear, so he moved on to the staircase which would lead him into the west side of the third floor. However, suddenly, the staircase started shifting and turned a whole 360 degrees.  
  
"Uh oh..."  
  
He braced himself and ventured onto the unfamiliar hallway that appeared before him. Strange, to think he hadn't found this hallway in his first five years at Hogwarts. He walked slowly, noticing that there wasn't much in this hallway, except for one small door located at the very end. As he got closer, he noticed that the door was opened slightly, and through the crack, a soft light came streaming out. Ron, feeling a little on his adventurous side, opened the door a little further, and prepared himself for whatever might be inside. He heard slight movement, and closed his eyes tightly, before opening them a crack to see what was moving. Instead of facing another ferocious beast like Fluffy, he was surprised to see...  
  
"Luna?"  
  
She was sitting in a comfortable looking armchair reading a book. The room was very cozy looking indeed, almost like the Gryffindor common room, except the walls were enchanted to look like a Hawaiian beach. She looked up at Ron, her facial expression looking somewhat surprised that Ron was there.  
  
"Hello Ronald. What brings you here?"  
  
"Er...well, the staircase just kind of...shifted on me and I was just walking down this hallway when I saw the door."  
  
Luna smiled in her daydreamy way. Suddenly, the walls that were made to look like the beaches of Hawaii changed into a whole different scenery – a meadow with rolling hills, green grass and a blue sky on a bright spring day. This caught Ron off guard, causing him to jump back in surprise.  
  
"How'd it change?"  
  
Luna sighed a dreamy sigh, and replied, "It changes depending on your feelings. For example, if I were angry and needed to calm down, it would look like those beaches. But now, I'm calm, and at peace, so it's a meadow." She explained this like it was the most obvious thing in the world and was surprised that Ron didn't know the answer.  
  
"Oh," was all Ron could say. Luna patted the armchair next to her's, and said, "Come sit." He did as he was told, and at once, the meadow scenery changed into that of a dark, stormy night, with lightning booming in the distance. Ron shrieked, while Luna sat there laughing.  
  
"Its not funny!"  
  
"I'm sorry Ronald, but that shriek was priceless."  
  
However, her laughter died out in mere seconds, and her face was now full of worry and concern.  
  
"Why are you gloomy?"  
  
He didn't want to tell her, did he? Or maybe he did. After all, she probably did deal with a lot of "feeling left out" stuff. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, so instead, he closed it, only to open it again to try to find his voice once more. When he did find it, it came out cracked, like he was going through puberty again.  
  
"Well...I...uh...lets see..."  
  
Luna cut in. "Is this about Hermione and Harry finally getting together?"  
  
"Yeah...I don't know...I mean, I'm really happy for them, I am! But sometimes I can't help but feel that you know...I'm the third wheel or something."  
  
Ron could feel a burning sensation in the back of his nose and eyes, and knew that tears were going to show up soon. He gulped, and looked away.  
  
"Its not shameful to cry, Ronald. Let it all out, you'll feel better."  
  
She patted him on the back comfortingly, and that's all it took for Ron Weasley, manly Quidditch player extraordinaire, to start bawling his eyes out like he used to when Fred and George turned his teddy bear into a spider when he was five. Luna, quite shocked by his sudden outburst, cautiously wrapped an arm around his shoulder and stroked his hair in a motherly way.  
  
"Oh god!" he wailed in between great hacking sobs and big sniffs to keep his nose from overflowing. A monster size tissue box appeared on the little table in front of his armchair, so Luna, being the thoughtful one, grabbed a couple giant sized tissues and gave them to Ron. He took them, blew his nose loudly and continued to bawl, burying his face into Luna's chest. She blushed crimson at this, as she had never had a boy so close to her personal belongings.  
  
"I...(sniff) don't...know...(sob) how to...cope! I've...(aah!) got...no one!" He bawled, his sobs now coming in short as though he's lacking oxygen. Luna looked downright scared now; she had never known Ron to be so...emotional. She stroked his hair and cooed, occasionally whispering the, "It'll be all right", and "Ssh, don't worry".  
  
After about what had seemed like eternity, Ron had regained his composure, and, glancing at Luna's flushed face, decided that now would be a good time to leave. They left the room together, just in time to see the staircase shift again. As they got off to return to their respective dormitories, Ron spoke in an uncomfortable tone.  
  
"Luna, I'd really appreciate it if you – you – wouldn't tell anyone about this."  
  
"I won't."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"I promise." 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
It had been a month since Ron's emotional breakdown in front of Luna, and needless to say, he was a bit embarrassed by it, so he avoided her at all costs, just in case she'd bring it up around Harry or Hermione. But, he wouldn't let this thought stop him from enjoying his first Hogsmeade trip, on a bitterly cold November 21st.  
  
Harry and Ron were just coming out the door of Quality Quidditch Supplies (Hermione didn't come with them, on account of saving her sanity), when they both noticed a group of sixth year Slytherins gathered around something in a huddle, levitating what seemed to be a gold pocket watch. From the middle of the group, they heard a small squeal of "please give it back!" followed by a mop of blonde hair bobbing up and down, apparently trying to catch the object. The Slytherins just howled with laughter.  
  
"Catch it if you can!"  
  
The blonde hair looks very familiar, Ron thought, while he and Harry just stood there staring at the scene in front of them. Just then, a particularly chunky boy moved, and Ron was able to catch a glimpse of the person in the middle of the huddle – Luna. Should I do something? he asked himself. Of course you should, you moron, she was there to listen to you cry! another voice commanded. DO SOMETHING! Ron felt a twinge of guilt run through him as the last memory came to his mind. That was true, Luna _was_ there in his time of need. Without telling Harry what he was up to, he whipped out his wand and yelled the Full Body Bind curse on the boy who was doing the levitating. His arms and legs snapped together, and while the other boys were too dimwitted to notice what had happened, Ron had put the Bat Bogey curse on the remaining lot, (which he had learned from Ginny) with the help of Harry, who eventually caught on. Luna scrambled to pick up her pocket watch, stood up, and walked over to Ron, making sure to step on at least the hand of every boy that fell to the ground. She looked up at him with gratitude written on every square inch of her face.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered, and flung herself forward on Ron, embracing him in the tightest hug he had ever experienced in his life.  
  
"Your – (grunt) – welcome," he managed to say, his eyes wincing from the force she exerted on him.  
  
"You truly are a King," she whispered, when she had let him go, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. She walked away, humming "Weasley is our King", which sounded suspiciously like a cross between _La cucuracha_ and the ice cream man theme song. His face blushed the colour of his hair, and Harry eyed him with a hint of humor.  
  
"How does it feel to be King? Hmmm?"  
  
"Oh, shut up." They walked back to the Three Broomsticks, where they were supposed to meet Hermione for some Butterbeers. Relieved to be inside after walking in the nippy wind, they quickly found Hermione, sitting with Ginny and Neville.  
  
"Where have you two been? I've been waiting for half an hour!" Hermione screeched, although they could tell she wasn't really angry.  
  
"Something came up," Ron replied shortly, dumping his bag of candy of Honeydukes and running off to get them all a bottle of Butterbeer.  
  
"Something came up? Like what?" Ginny asked with interest, while Neville sat there looking frightened like they had spotted some Death Eaters.  
  
"Oh, nothing, just this and that, you know, the usual – Ron helping Luna in her time of need." Ginny's eyes lit up and a smirk illuminated her features. Holding a tray with five bottles of Butterbeer, Ron placed it upon the table and took a seat next to Harry. He took a sip out of his bottle, when he noticed that all of them were staring at him with mild interest written on their facial features.  
  
"What?" Ginny's smirk grew bigger.  
  
"Well, King Ronald, we hear you just saved a damsel in distress." He choked on his Butterbeer, sending him into a fit of mad coughs with tears leaking from his eyes.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"You know, saving Luna in her time of need," she went on, obviously thrilled by the reaction she was getting from him.  
  
"Harry! Did you tell them?!"  
  
"I had to – it was just so noble of you," he replied, quickly downing a gulp of Butterbeer, so he would have an excuse to look away.  
  
"Look, its not what it sounds like! I was just helping her get this pocket watch thing back from the Slytherins."  
  
"Ooh, so you _do_ admit you were helping her in her time of need!"  
  
"Er...well...it was the right thing to do."  
  
"Of course, so _noble_!"  
  
Ron was trapped, whatever he would say from this point on would somehow screw him over, so instead of answering, he took a long swig from his bottle, and ignored Hermione and Ginny's little squeals of, "ooh, he's so noble!", "he's so kind!", and "how did it feel to receive a hug of gratitude?"   
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - 

Back in the safety behind his curtains of his bed in the boys' dormitories after dinner, Ron had to admit to himself that the hug did feel nice. It felt nice to know that he had done something to make someone that happy – even if it was Luna Lovegood. As he replayed the memory of her tight hug through his head a million times, he dozed off somewhere in the night.  
  
**Author's note: Sorry this is such a short chapter, but I kind of ran out of ideas, and because I'm a little stressed out about final exams (eep!). Thank you for the 4 readers who have reviewed my story! It makes me feel really good and boosts my self-esteem! (haha!) So I will try to update more, and I'll be starting a shorter R/L fic soon! Keep on reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Caution: There is D/G later in this chapter!  
  
In no time at all, it was Christmas. Ron awoke to a giant bundle of presents at the foot of his bed, and had ripped off all the wrapping paper in record time. All his Christmas presents were satisfactory: the usual maroon jumper from mum, a bright orange Chudley Canons shirt from Harry, a book on famous Quidditch tactics from Hermione, and various sweets from his other friends. He had yet one present to open, which was wrapped in a fluorescent purple paper, and was very box-y. Carefully, he examined it from all angles, and unwrapped it, revealing a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, with a single note attached. It read: Merry Christmas Ronald! Who on earth calls him Ronald? he thought, and besides his mother, he could not think of a single person. He shrugged it off, and went downstairs with Harry to join Hermione for breakfast.  
  
Having eaten a spectacular breakfast, (Ron duly noted that the house elves had outdone themselves), and having had a spectacular snowball fight, he came in from the bitter cold and made his way up the stairs to the common room (Harry and Hermione were still outside rolling around in the snow). As he made his way up the last flight of stairs, he heard a peculiar sound coming from a darkened corner, and edging closer, he realized that the peculiar sound was distinctly a female moaning. Curious to see who could be up to the naughty, he poked his head around the corner and gasped. What he saw made his heart break in two and his breakfast come back up to his mouth.  
  
It was Ginny, with that prune Malfoy nipping, licking, kissing, sucking and doing all sorts of unthinkable things to her neck. Her poor, virgin neck! He hadn't made a sound at all, but as the reality of this hit him smack in the face, he screamed.  
  
"AAARRRGGGHHH!! MY EYES!!"  
  
He tore down the hall before they could say anything and ran far, far away from the common room as possible. It wasn't until he ran head first into Luna Lovegood that he had come to a stop. The impact of his speedy running had caused both Ron and Luna to crash into the ground, her latest edition of The Quibbler flying out of her hand. She groaned, and brought a hand to rub her forehead.  
  
"Why are you in such a hurry, Ronald?"  
  
He froze, and remembered the unthinkable. It sent chills up his spine just thinking about it.  
  
"Er...you don't want to know," was his short reply, before he crawled over Luna's body and grabbed The Quibbler to return to her.  
  
"Thank you," her face resumed its glazed over look. Actually, Ron did want to tell Luna what he had just seen, just to get if off his chest so he would stop feeling nauseous. Luna must have sensed this, because at the precise moment, she asked once again, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Before he knew it, everything came pouring out of his mouth.  
  
"And it's just so wrong! I mean, my sister and Malfoy?! Its...its...sickening!"  
  
Luna smiled, about to laugh, but stopped when she saw the agony he was going through.  
  
"Well, maybe its different for them. Maybe he really cares for her, otherwise she wouldn't have let him do things like that to her," she mused, trying, and failing to calm Ron down.  
  
"Still! It's Malfoy! Its wrong!"  
  
"Maybe it's not wrong for them."  
  
"But...but...I need to go lie down." and with that, Ron got up, waved his hand curtly, and tore down the hall back to the common room.  
  
"Ron! Its not that big of a deal!" Ginny was furious, her hands flying everywhere, and her face as red as her hair. The ever so famous Weasley temper was flying between her and Ron.  
  
"No big deal?! NO BIG DEAL?! THIS IS MALFOY! Have you forgotten that his dad is the one that almost led you to your death in your second year?! Have you forgotten that they're strong supporters of You-Know-Who?!" he bellowed, his face just as red as Ginny's.  
  
"You're being immature about it! He's changed since second year! HE CARES ABOUT ME!"  
  
"Yeah, right! Almost as much as he cares about getting all the inside information on Harry! You're going to be the cause of Harry's death! All because you dated MALFOY! He's going to sell us out, you wait and see!"  
  
Ron had gone too far, Ginny's face turned a slight shade of purple, before she raged, "RON, YOU'RE SUCH A GIT!" and punched him in the shoulder before stalking off to the girls' dormitories. Ron, however, took this as a good sign, and triumphantly exclaimed, "She'll break things off with him first thing tomorrow morning!"  
  
To Ron's great dismay, Ginny still hadn't broken things off with Malfoy, and after two weeks since their argument, Ron had been feeling uneasy about their "relationship", and was on the verge of nervous breakdown. Everytime he pressed her on this issue, she would either ignore him, or tell him that she was not going to end things between her and Malfoy because of him. During all this time, he had noticed that clumps of his hair were falling out, leaving him with bald patches here and there. He panicked, thinking that his father's balding genetics were hitting him early. However, when he went to see Madam Pomfrey about this startling discovery, she merely told him that it was caused by too much stress, and that he really should start thinking about getting more "quiet time" on the weekends. Harry laughed his innards out when he heard this news, but then blamed the stress on the fact that Ron just would not get over the fact that his sister had finally found a boyfriend. Though he argued that if she were Harry's sister, he would be stressed out too, Harry plainly stated that if Ginny had chosen Malfoy among all others, he must be a good person on the inside.  
  
"Harry! You don't get it! I'm balding in patches and look completely insane! And its all due to Malfoy!" he shrieked, jabbing a finger at one of the several bald patches scattered across his head. Harry just smirked, and replied,  
  
"I'm thinking maybe you're jealous of Malfoy."  
  
"What?! Me, jealous of Malfoy?" his eyes bulging just slightly.  
  
"Why sure, I mean, he's dating your sister, who just might be his special someone. Maybe you're jealous because you haven't found your's yet."  
  
Oh, ouch. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Ron woke up in a very, very bad mood. He wondered why, before remembering Harry's hurtful words the night before. His puzzled expression was replaced by a scowl before turning to look at his clock. 7:24 AM – much too early to be awake, but he couldn't get back to sleep, now that he remembered the reason for his anger. Instead, he pulled his newest (and warmest) jumper over his pyjama top, stuffed his feet into a pair of his soon-to-be holey socks, put on his shoes and walked out the dormitory door. He needed to take a walk down to the Lake.  
  
"Dammit," he breathed to himself, "I should have worn something warmer!" Yes, Ron should have worn something warmer, as it was December 26, and especially at 7:37 AM, the grounds were covered in a thick frost, and his breath seemed to form little particles of ice in front of his very eyes. He sat down on the snow-covered ground, casting a simple, yet effective heating charm on his bottom. Pulling his legs up to his chest to keep warm, he sighed, as a single tear rolled down his cheek, as the thought of never finding his special someone crept up from the back of his mind.  
  
"Maybe Harry was right," he said aloud to himself, "maybe I am jealous of that dink Malfoy...maybe I won't find my special someone."  
  
He was so deeply emerged in his own self-pity that he hadn't noticed someone walking behind him, to the very spot where he sat. It wasn't until the sound of crunching snow became louder that he turned around.  
  
It was Luna, bundled up in a scarf, mittens, and every other essential winter clothing, levitating what looked like a sleeping bag in front of her, carrying yet, another edition of The Quibbler in her other arm. When she got close enough, she let the sleeping bag fall to the ground with a soft "thump!" and smiled.  
  
"Hello Ronald," she said, still smiling. "What brings you here at..." she looked at her watch. "7:49 in the morning?"  
  
"Hullo Luna," he replied dully. "Just doing some...thinking, that's all."  
  
"Oh yes, the Lake is a wonderful place to think in the mornings. I come here all the time." She unzipped her sleeping back and shuffled inside, laying The Quibbler on her lap. Looking up at his red ears, she took her toque off and handed it to him. "Here, cover your ears up, or else the Willyhags will bite them off."  
  
"Er...thanks." Ron took the toque from her and jammed it onto his head, which instantly warmed up due to the fact that she was wearing it earlier. She did not start reading her magazine like usual, but instead, continued to look at Ron, in an unfazed, dreamy way. He noticed, and did not look back at her, looking at the Lake instead. Finally, she spoke, breaking the somewhat uncomfortable silence between them.  
  
"What were you thinking about?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You told me you came out here to think."  
  
"Oh...yeah..." Ron scratched his head nervously, trying to decide whether or not to tell her. He finally decided he would – after all, she had listened to his problems earlier. "Well, its just what Harry said last night...he said maybe I was jealous of Malfoy because he might be dating his special someone, while I haven't found mine yet."  
  
Luna only smiled serenely, and whispered, "I haven't either, but once he sees it, I'll be with my special someone." Ron raised his eyebrows and looked at her with an expression of confusion, but before he could say another word, her lips were pressed softly against his. This sudden action caught him by total surprise, and he was sitting there with his bright blue eyes as wide as saucers, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. But, as Luna's lips slowly separated themselves from his, he realized that he didn't want it to stop. Grabbing her softly by the shoulders, he pulled her back towards him, and this time, Ron was the one doing the kissing. They sat there for several seconds, Ron reveling in the feeling of kissing this strange girl. He pulled back just slightly for a catch of air, but kissed her again, this time with more passion. He licked her lip for a brief second, and she opened up to him. His brain started buzzing.  
  
"Oh god, oh god, oh god!"  
  
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and after breaking the kiss, both were gasping for air. Ron put a hand up to her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.  
  
"Luna, I –" he began in a husky voice, but Luna interrupted him.  
  
"Please don't say you regret it."  
  
"I wasn't...I was going to say that I think I've found my special someone."  
  
They smiled at eachother before Ron swooped in for another kiss.  
  
Author's note: Sorry this chapter was actually really short, but I just got an idea for another fic and I couldn't think of anything more to write in this chapter! But a great big thank you to all the readers and reviewers! I appreciate them! Keep em coming!! 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
"Weas – Ron!"  
  
Ron, Harry and Hermione were all trooping up the stairs when someone called out to Ron. They all knew who that voice belonged to, but they had never once heard that voice call him by his first name. Or, maybe it was just someone who sounded a lot like him? No...that's not possible, his nasty little voice was one of a kind. But, it couldn't be...  
  
"MALFOY?"  
  
Draco Malfoy only smirked, and walked up the stairs to the halfway point, where they were currently standing. Once he reached them, he only continued to smirk, but instead of making a snide remark about the state of Ron's robes, he casually extended his arm.  
  
"What? What do you want from me?"  
  
Malfoy sighed dramatically, and rolled his eyes.  
  
"I've come to make a truce, Ron-ald," he began, putting emphasis on the way he said his name. "As I'm dating your sister, she has asked of me to come to somewhat good terms with you, so that is what I'm doing." It was as though he was explaining why 2 2 = 4 to a dimwitted three year old. Ron looked at him with revulsion written on his face at the mere mention of Malfoy dating Ginny.  
  
"Ugh...please don't remind me."  
  
"Ha! Ha! Not enjoying it, are you? Well, you better get used to this, I'm planning to make this a long term thing."  
  
"WHAT!" Ron flung himself forward and grabbed Malfoy by the neck with both his hands, sending his books flying. Harry and Hermione instinctively grabbed his shoulders and pried him off Malfoy. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he yelled, flapping his now free-of-Malfoy's-neck hands around in the air.  
  
"Ron! Calm – down!" Harry grunted, noticing that Malfoy has smirking and looking very smug.  
  
"Honestly, Ron-ald, I'm trying to be your friend," he said, now absently picking at a stray string hanging from his sleeve.  
  
"If – (ugh) – you're trying to be my friend (grunt) you'll (Harry, let go!) stop – dating – my – sister!"  
  
"My dear boy, that won't happen anytime soon, as I care deeply about her, and I have shown her that I do." His smirk became wider. "Are you...trying to tell me something, Malfoy?"  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO GINNY?!"  
  
"Shown her how much I care."  
  
"ARE YOU SHAGGING HER?"  
  
Ah, Ron had hit the right spot. Malfoy grinned mischievously (which was slightly eerie as none of them had ever seen Malfoy grin before). Ron's face turned purple, and he sputtered,  
  
"NEVERMIND! NEVERMIND! DON'T ANSWER THAT!"  
  
Calmly, Malfoy presented Ron with his outstretched hand once again, and said,  
  
"Fine, truce?"  
  
"Fine...just as long as you keep your hands to yourself and off my sister."  
  
"I'll try." Ron shook his hand reluctantly and Malfoy glided down the stairs again, but before reaching the bottom, he yelled, "Good luck with Loony! Ha! Ha!"  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
By the time February had rolled around, everyone in the school had found out that Ron Weasley, best friend of the Boy Who Lived, and brother to the only Gryffindor that Malfoy would date, was dating Loony Lovegood. It had been what – two months since their first kiss, and already, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were making fun of him, asking him if the engagement was to be announced any time soon. Too many times, Ron had exploded at the rumors and constant teasing, but noticed that Luna seemed unaffected, even when the mean girls asked her, "Why would he date you?" so he decided to ask her about this. Her reply?  
  
"Ronald, its no use getting mad at every single person who makes fun of you. Besides, they're just showing you how insecure they are. Just brush them off, Ronald, as long as we know what's right, that's all that matters."  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
February 14th seemed to creep up on Ron, and before he knew it, he was heading out the great front doors hand-in-hand with Luna, while she carried an enormous picnic basket in the other. A week ago, Luna had asked Ron to spend Valentine's Day with her looking for Silver Winged Betorkles near the Lake, as they liked still waters and shrubs. He didn't know what Silver Winged Betorkles were, or why he had agreed, but he couldn't have been happier to spend time with his special someone.  
  
As they neared the Lake, Luna began to skip in excitement.  
  
"Oh, Ronald! This is so exciting! Suppose we do find a Silver Winged Betorkle! Wouldn't that be fabulous?" She could hardly contain her excitement. Ron squeezed her hand, and smiled.  
  
"Yeah, it would."  
  
Finding a nice spot under a huge tree, Luna dropped off the enormous picnic basket, attaching a note to the handle, which read, "Ron and Luna's lunch. Please do not steal" and grabbed Ron's hand again, running to the nearest bush.  
  
"Now Ronald," she started, squatting down and poking her head into the bush. "Remember that the Betorkle is very shy, so you mustn't upset it. Also, if you see a flash of silver, run after it as fast as you can. They're actually pretty speedy." The upper half of her body was now completely buried into the bush, and her voice was muffled. "Come help, Ronald!" Ron, fearing that there might be spiders hiding amongst the bushes, gingerly parted its branches and stuck his head in like Luna had done.  
  
"How, exactly, do we go about looking for them?" he asked, suddenly aware of how strange this scene would look from outside spectators.  
  
"They make nests of the foot of bushes. We're trying to find the nest, to see if they're in there. The nests look like little gopher holes, so you want to be careful not to get your hand stuck in one."  
  
"Ah, OK."  
  
They searched bush after bush, and they could not find a single Betorkle nest, and Ron's grumbling stomach caused him to ask Luna if they could go have lunch.  
  
"Oh, of course Ronald, I'm so sorry!"  
  
Sitting down underneath the shade of the tree, Ron leaned against the trunk, one arm wrapped around Luna's waist as she opened the picnic basket and handed him a giant sandwich.  
  
"Turkey! My favoritist sandwich!" he exclaimed, kissing her on the cheek.  
  
"There's no such word as favoritist, Ronald."  
  
"There is now" he implied, taking a huge bite out of the sandwich, when he noticed a flash of silver beside his ear. He heard Luna gasp. "Ronald! You've attracted a Silver Winged Betorkle!"  
  
And so he had. As he focused his attention on the flash of silver that was buzzing near his ear, he realized he had never seen such a strange creature. It looked to be something like a Dalmatian puppy, spotted with silver, with silver wings, which reminded him briefly of Buckbeak. It looked longingly at Ron's sandwich, before whimpering.  
  
"Ronald! This is excellent! He wants part of your sandwich! It's a peace offering!" Luna's eyes were wider than usual, and she stretched out a hand to try to pet it. The Betorkle just flew back an inch, continuing to stare at Ron's sandwich, whimpering.  
  
"But – but – this is my sandwich!" He tightened his grip around the sandwich protectively.  
  
"Don't be silly Ronald, I've packed you three more! Now hurry, give the Betorkle a piece before it flies away!"  
  
Hearing that he still had three more turkey sandwiches, he (rather reluctantly) ripped off a piece of turkey sandwich, and held it in his palm for the Betorkle to claim it. It flew right into his hand, and devoured his sandwich, and flew away. Ron thought Luna would be disappointed that it didn't stay longer, but on the contrary, she was smiling widely.  
  
"This is so exciting! He's gone to get others!"  
  
She was right, the next minute, the same Betorkle came back, followed by a flock of other Betorkles, and they all sat themselves on Ron's body.  
  
"Hey! Hey! Get off! No! That's my sandwich!" The Betorkles had begun to nibble at his sandwich, and he was about to protest to Luna when he saw how happy she was, so he decided to pass the sandwich on to her, so that she could get a chance to pet one. She squealed in excitement, having ten Silver Winged Betorkles on her, and squealed even louder when the smallest (possibly the youngest) Betorkle nestled itself on the crook of her neck, licking her ear.  
  
The sandwich was gone, and all but the smallest Betorkle had flown away. Luna took the remaining Betorkle and held it in her hands, admiring it from every angle. She looked up at Ron.  
  
"Oh Ronald! This has been the best Valentine's Day! Thank you!" Ron found himself lost, and no longer fuming about the lost turkey sandwich, when Luna kissed him, and Ron pulled her – and the Betorkle, closer to him.  
  
Author's note: Seeing that I don't have a copy of the Fantastic Beasts book, I have no idea what the Silver Winged Betorkle really looks like. So my apologies for getting it wrong! 


	7. Author's note

Author's note: From now until further notice, "How you stumbled upon me" will be on hiatus indefinitely. Why? There are two reasons. One, I seem to be stuck on the plot, and cannot figure out a way to continue the story from where Chapter 6 ended. Two, I have started on my first slightly A/U Draco/Ginny fic, so all my time is being consumed into getting that one started. So, for you faithful readers, please be patient, and I will get Chapter 7 up as soon as I formulate an idea. In the meanwhile, please read and review my D/G story, "On the runway". Thanks! 


End file.
